This application relates generally to the field of transaction cards. More specifically, this application relates to methods and systems for the production of transaction cards.
There are a variety of different types of transaction cards currently available for use by consumers, including credit cards, debit cards, stored-value cards, and the like. Each of these different types of cards permits consumers to purchase goods and/or services, but on generally different financial bases: credit cards permit purchases to be made in accordance with a credit agreement; debit cards permit purchases to be made through immediate deduction of funds from a remote account; and stored-value cards permit purchases to be made on a prepaid basis. While the value stored on stored-value cards often represents cash value, the concept of value is more general and may include, for example, redeemable points, phone time, and the like.
The ability to use such transaction cards to acquire goods and/or services makes them favored targets for fraud. In some instances, this potential for fraud arises from the very moment the transaction cards are produced. This may be most obvious in the case of stored-value cards since they may be exchanged for goods and/or services as soon as they are produced, but the concern about fraudulent use extends to all types of transaction cards. Accordingly, this application relates to methods and systems for the production of transaction cards that account for these concerns.